OM DENNE EPISODE
Jon Parrish joins Dawn Grant on Clay Mastermind: Mental Excellence and Industry Insights for a conversation on Sporting Clays, instruction, mental focus, competition shooting, coaching, and the process of developing consistency in shotgun sports. Jon is an NSCA Level III Instructor, founder of Shady Cove Shooting School, competitive shooter, course setter, and homeschool shooting team coach based in the mountains of western North Carolina.
In this episode, Jon shares how he grew up in rural Tennessee hunting and shooting from an early age before eventually discovering Sporting Clays in his mid-40s. Although his first 100-target outing resulted in a score of only 38, he immediately fell in love with the sport and knew it would become a lifelong passion. Dawn and Jon discuss the exhilaration of breaking difficult targets, the camaraderie found within the shooting community, and why Sporting Clays became an escape from the analytical demands of Jon’s professional career in the insurance industry.
A major focus of the episode is the mental game and the balance between conscious preparation and instinctive execution. Jon explains how shooters must carefully plan their break points, hold points, visual pickup points, and stance before calling for the target, but once the target appears, they must stop analyzing and trust instinct, vision, and subconscious movement. Dawn and Jon discuss the zone, intuitive shooting, overthinking, confidence, and how excessive analysis can interfere with performance.
Jon also shares one of the most difficult periods of his competitive shooting journey when his eye dominance shifted from right-eye dominant to left-eye dominant later in life. He explains the confusion and frustration that came with missing targets that visually appeared correct and how eventually learning to manage the issue through proper visual techniques helped him return to competition and continue progressing toward Master Class status.
The conversation also explores coaching and instruction. Jon explains why he moved from primarily competing to focusing more heavily on teaching and mentoring shooters. He discusses his philosophy that success in Sporting Clays comes from mastering a small number of core fundamentals and then learning to execute them subconsciously under pressure.
Dawn and Jon also discuss the importance of belief, confidence, persistence, and patience in skill development. Jon shares why many shooters become discouraged too quickly and how progress in Sporting Clays requires a long-term mindset rather than instant gratification. He emphasizes the importance of enjoying the journey, staying committed during plateaus, and continuing to trust the process even during difficult stretches.
The episode also highlights Jon’s work coaching the Haywood Homeschool Bobcats shotgun team, including their surprising district championship victory against much larger schools. Jon shares how meaningful it has been to mentor young shooters and help them grow both competitively and personally.
This episode offers valuable insight for Sporting Clays shooters, instructors, coaches, competitors, and anyone interested in the connection between mindset, instinctive shooting, confidence, perseverance, and long-term development in shotgun sports.
Jon Parrish Links:
Website:
https://shadycovess.com/
NSCA Instructor Profile:
https://nsca.nssa-nsca.org/instructor/jon-parrish/
Iron Mountain Sporting Clays:
https://ironmountainclays.com/
Fowler Farms Sporting Clays:
https://fowlerfarmsportingclays.com/
Dawn Grant Links
https://ameliashotgunsports.com/
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